


Heal Thy Wings

by pherryt



Series: Invisible Wings [1]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: 12.10 coda, Bottom Dean, Destiel - Freeform, Feels, Heart to Hearts, M/M, Shipper Sam, Smut, Top Castiel, Wings, mentions of 9.03, wing!kink
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-13
Updated: 2017-03-13
Packaged: 2018-10-04 06:38:03
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,443
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10270478
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pherryt/pseuds/pherryt
Summary: After the events of 12.10, Dean has some questions for Cas...which leads to confessions...which leads to...wings?





	

**Author's Note:**

> I started this for a prompt that i combined with another idea after i saw pictures of wings and then i abandoned it for weeks because it felt like i'd started forcing the story and i started to really hate it - and then i picked it back up last night and just said, "nope, it's not nearly as bad as i thought. I'll just change the direction this was going in and yeah, yeah that works!" and now i'm much happier with it and i'm so happy i didn't have to abandon this
> 
> thanks go to jdragon for the beta! :D

  
  


“Is it true?” Dean’s words halted Cas in his tracks.

Frozen in place, Castiel swallowed, closing his eyes. Without turning around, Castiel stood in the doorway of the kitchen. “Is what true, Dean? I’m afraid you’ll have to be more specific.”  _ Please don’t, I can’t take it… _

“Is it really forbidden in Heaven to…to...” Dean stumbled over his words, wincing at his own cowardice. Castiel hoped this would prove too much for him and he’d drop the subject. No such luck. Dean plowed on, “You know, to have relations with a human?” Dean forced the words out in a rush.

“Technically speaking,” Cas said reluctantly.

“Technically? What the hell does that even mean?” Dean blinked, suddenly suspicious.

“It means that the act of creating a Nephilim is forbidden. It is the most sacred law in Heaven.” Castiel’s voice was low, monotonous, devoid of feeling, though inwardly he quaked.  

“Then,” Dean took a deep, fortifying breath and braced himself as if he expected a physical reaction to his next words, “hypothetically speaking,”  _ hypothetical, my ass... _ ”if you and I were to uh…fuck…it wouldn’t be forbidden.”

“What could possibly make you think that?” Castiel turned, rolling his eyes.

“Because we’re both guys. We can’t create a Nephilim. It’s not exactly like either of us have the right equipment for that.” Dean stood up and walked to the fridge, grabbing 2 beers without asking if Cas even wanted one, handing it to him as the angel gave up and wandered back into the room.

“Thank you,” Castiel said simply. Dean tilted his beer at the table and gave Cas a questioning lo ok. Cas nodded and they sat, so close they were almost touching. As close as Castiel dared without…he held in a sigh and cut off the line of thought before it could bloom, opening his beer with a quick twist of his wrist  and raised it to sip.

“So…?” Dean took a swallow out of his own bottle and waited.

“So…what?” Castiel fiddled with the label, peeling at it and avoiding Dean’s eyes.

“Jeez, Cas, it’s like pulling teeth to get you to talk And I thought  _ I _ was bad.” Dean sighed, wiping a hand over his eyes briefly.

“What do you want me to say, Dean?”

“I’m just sayin’…if it was so forbidden, then what about Chastity?” The memory, though it had amused him also brought up a wave of jealousy that Dean had to push back down.

Castiel blinked at him in surprise. He hadn’t thought of that night in ages, though it had often felt like a turning point to him. He’d never seen Dean laugh like that and it had been…exhilarating. “Oh.”

“Yeah, oh. So?”

“Dean, I was already exiled from heaven with a death sentence hanging over me. I’d already died once and I expected to be dead again by morning. I could hardly have made things worse.” Dean gave a thoughtful, conceding nod. Castiel could have left it at that, but he couldn’t help himself as the words tumbled out of his mouth, “Besides, I thought I did a fairly good job of making sure she wasn’t interested.”

In the process of taking another sip of his beer, Dean wound up spitting it halfway across the table and coughing. “What the fuck?! You mean you did that shit on purpose?  _ Why _ , man? If you didn’t want to – “

“Dean, you seemed so invested in ‘helping’ me, that…I didn’t want to disappoint you,” Castiel dared to look up at the hunter who was staring in a mixture of disbelief, awe and…relief.

But also disappointment.

Castiel carefully chose not to focus on  _ why _ that could be.

“Okay, fine, but what about Nora? And April?” Dean didn’t miss the blanch Castiel didn’t quite restrain at the mention of Aprils’ name. When Dean had learned that Cas had had sex with someone, the initial hurt and jealousy had drowned out the part of him that should have realized how  _ wrong _ it had been…of April, who had taken advantage of 2 people that night, not just one.

“I was human, Dean, did you forget that?” Castiel’s voice was small, almost defeated.

“Meg – “

“Was a demon. Hardly the same.”

“Daphne, then,” Dean should really stop bringing up each and every name, every possible almost fling Cas had, it was grinding his heart to dust, “You were an angel still. An amnesiac angel, but still an angel.”

“But I thought I was human and even still, the marriage was one of convenience, for appearances sake. We weren’t actually married and we didn’t have that kind of relationship. She claimed me as her husband so she could get me medical help. Not that I really needed it, but seeing as I couldn’t remember who I was, she had me brought in for tests and I didn’t know any better.”

“No but…Cas, Heaven’s most Sacred Law is  _ bullshit _ ,” Dean protested angrily. As usual, he was getting turned around, following tangents he hadn’t meant to. Cas was a master tactician, and he was skilled at the art of deflecting. Not necessarily that of lying which was why Dean was trying to be as direct as possible.

“Dean, it’s not – “ Castiel knew what he dreamed of, who he wanted, who he loved, but he saw no hope for them.

Dean slammed his beer down on the table and leaned forward with a frown, “It  _ is _ bullshit. You know it, Balthazar knew it, Gabriel knew it…and who knows how many other angels that got hunted down and reprogrammed? You’ve rebelled against heaven, against god’s own plans before. And you got his goddamned approval.”

“That’s different –“ Castiel protested weakly.

Dean didn’t notice. Instead, he seemed to stop and think about his last sentence before he shrugged and just kept going, “Each and every angel among you has had their mind fucked by Naomi, who knows how many times? God once gave the order to love humans and to care for them. The Old Testament is filled with accounts of angels coming down and interacting with humanity – until Chuck left the building and left the Archangels in charge. And then Heaven got put on lockdown, calling you all back, and changing the rules. They tried to jumpstart God’s word…others have subverted it. So yeah, I’m calling bullshit!”

Castiel’s mouth opened, then closed again, considering angles he hadn’t given thought to before. He’d been so mired in the laws of Heaven, so steeped in the ways he’d been following for who knew how long, that he’d rarely stopped to question it.

Yet, wasn’t that partially what had caused so many problems for the Angels all along? They never questioned their orders as long as they thought it came straight from God.  Yet so many of their orders had  _ not _ been. Castiel himself had never realized God was  _ gone _ , he’d just thought he’d been a bit too busy to mingle with lower angels. As he chewed his lip, a habit recently acquired, but Castiel thought might be a leftover body memory of Jimmy (the man had such chapped and beat up lips, Castiel couldn’t imagine anything other than that Jimmy was constantly chewing on them), he felt his mind shifting.

Then Dean asked just one more question, “Tell me, Cas, what – exactly – is the wording for this ‘sacred law’?”

“ _ In walking upon the earth, be you mindful of your vessel, for you are a guest in his house. Do not disrespect your host. Be conscious of any and all vows, both those he or she has taken and the ones that you have made. And Father not the Nephilim, the product of the union of Angel and Humanity, lest it prove your downfall.” _ Castiel quoted by rote, memorized long ago and not quite listening to himself.

Dean let it wash over him and thought about it.

“Cas, that’s like, wide open man. So open to interpretation and conjecture. Look, you don’t  _ have _ a vessel. I mean, sure, you did once but, Jimmy doesn’t live there anymore,” Dean put a hand on Cas’s shoulder and squeezed, “This is  _ your _ body now. You, of all angels, have this unique position. To use your own terminology, they’re all guests…you’re a host. Has there ever been another like you in all Heaven?”

Cas’s eyes widened as he shook his head.

“There ya go. Look, ah, I’m seeing this as a couple of things. It’s rules that God gave without explaining the root cause. Like…like bacon!” Dean scrambled for a second before settling on that. “Now in the bible it clearly states which animals you can eat right? The pig is one of them. But GOD eats’ bacon. I mean, either man got it wrong or…God changed his mind. Why did he change his mind?”

“I…don’t know Dean, but humanity didn’t mess that up. God really did forbid bacon.”

“Well, historians have theorized that bacon – I mean pigs and all the other outlawed animals – were forbidden because people were getting sick from ill-made food. That’s no longer the case, or at least, we can treat people if they get sick these days…So…bacon’s not so much of an issue any more. It was something set down for our own safety and later became outdated. God proved as much when he was here, for that brief time.”

“Bacon is a long way from sexual relations, Dean. Your conjecture changes nothing.”

“Cas, it  _ changes everything _ . You’re not a vessel, we can’t father Nephilim, there’s nothing to prevent us…from…” Dean trailed off, eyes widening in horror at his running mouth.

He’d gone from hypotheticals, to proving Cas wasn’t as constrained as he thought, to Dean nearly admitting everything without even knowing how Cas really and truly felt. The older Winchester was putting himself right out there and he didn’t know what he was going to get back...

Okay, Dean just needed to calm down and not get ahead of himself, just back it up a step, or two. Finish the first conversation before they move into the next and the one that would inevitably follow that one. Dean still had to finish this before they could really ‘talk’ about everything a little closer to home, because if they didn’t clear up this whole mess first – well, as best as they could with the information they had anyway - then Cas couldn’t decide where they were going to go from here.

“Okay, look at it this way. The whole rule is about consent. Angels are _all_ about consent, right? You can’t even _take_ a vessel unless it says yes. How did you feel when you had sex with April? Probably…probably pretty good, right? Maybe some mixed feelings?” _Keep your own jealous feelings out of it,_ Dean told himself, _there’s a lot more to what happened than that Cas had sex with someone who wasn’t me and we never talked about how he was about it all. I just kicked him right the fuck out of the bunker and didn’t help him_ ** _deal_** _with any of it. I’m a goddamn failure as a friend, but I can try to make up for that as much as I can._

“Well…my newly human body was definitely…I mean the, the feelings were…overwhelming but I didn’t really  _ want _ …” Cas fumbled over his words, looking mightily uncomfortable.

“Your body felt good about it because that’s what bodies do sometimes. It’s all pheromones and shit, but  _ you _ felt horrible because she had you cornered. It was an untenable situation. I get that…” Dean wasn’t about to say why…Castiel knew everything about his past anyway, he’d rebuilt him from the ground up. It probably wasn’t even necessary. “But then how did you feel when you realized she was a Reaper in a vessel?”

Castiel looked sick and that was Dean’s answer. Dean edged closer to Cas, moving his hand from Cas’s shoulder and winding over and around both shoulders.

“Whoever April's vessel was, you and I both know she probably didn’t consent to having sex with you, no matter how it felt. And I think that’s what God’s little riddle is  _ really  _ about.”

“What about the Nephilim –?” Castiel’s voice held a tremor and Dean pulled the angel a little closer. They were going to start delving deep into chick flick territory here, but he couldn’t bring himself to care about that. Cas needed him and he needed Cas.

“Well, way I see it, this riddle God’s posed the angels doesn’t actually say the Nephilim are inherently evil. ‘Prove your downfall’ is more like proof positive that you didn’t listen to God’s rule, his ‘word’. I mean, it’s kinda hard to hide that you had sex with a human when God can look behind you and say, ‘Huh, so what’s that then?’ It doesn’t mean the child is bad, it means the  _ Angel _ was bad.”

“But then that means…the order to KILL Nephilim…” Cas looked horrified, and Dean couldn’t blame him. They’d all done terrible things as long as it helped keep others safe, but to find out that it hadn’t even been  _ necessary? _

Dean’s thrown up at the thought of some of the things he’s done before. Angel or not, Castiel didn’t look too far from it himself.

“I’m sorry man, it’s probably wrong,” Dean sighed, “Cas, look buddy, this is just my take on it. The word is too open to interpretation. It’s your choice what to make of it, as it always is. Free Will – I mean, what did we fight for if I force you to accept my opinion as fact? I can only point out what I’m seein’ and let you decide.”

“Dean…I…” Cas took in a shuddering breath, “I think you’re right. It makes sense. But…now what?” Castiel looked at Dean, his face so lost and yet full of hope, as if Dean held all the answers. God, what a weighty responsibility, this cosmic being who was older than Dean could comprehend, looking to  _ him _ for answers.

At the very least, Dean could be honest about himself, about his feelings. And hope that Castiel didn’t run screaming into the night. It was hard to hold back at this point anyway. The idea that Cas might have been holding himself back this whole time because of misplaced Heavenly duty had given Dean a hope he hadn’t thought to ever hold.

Crash or burn tonight, they needed to talk. Dean just hoped that when everything settled, he still had his best friend.

“Look, I don’t know if you’ll believe me, Cas, but…you and Sam are my whole world. You both mean too much to me. Losing either of you, it doesn’t matter which, it devastates me, each and every time. You’ve seen how I get about Sam. Well, you should ask Sam sometime what I’m like when you…when…”

Dean took a shaky breath, closing his eyes and running his fingers through his hair, “God, Cas, I care for you, as much as I do my brother – not  _ like  _ a brother, and you’ve probably felt that lie and I’m so goddamn sorry I couldn’t admit just what you  _ really _ meant to me before now - and I know I’ve been real shitty at showing that,”

Dean stood up and started pacing the room, not able to look Cas in the eyes just yet as he poured his heart out to him. Dean wasn’t sure he’d have the strength to keep going if he looked and saw pity or a blank look on Castiel’s face.

He didn’t see Castiel reaching out, eyes wide and mouth slightly parted in shock and hope.

“I mean, I had my reasons, at first, for not saying anything. Looking back on it now it seems so fucking dumb. I’ve put us both through hell. At first, I just didn’t realize how I felt, then I was ashamed for thinking of an  _ Angel  _ like that. Like if you knew, you’d toss me back in hell without a second thought. I mean, I know better now, but still. And you gotta understand, I’ve never told  _ anyone  _ – not even Sam – that I liked guys too. Though you probably already knew that.” Dean huffed out a harsh, self-derisive laugh.

“And just when I thought I would be brave enough to say something, the hits started and just kept coming and after a while I was just…afraid. You never said anything either and I began to believe that…that this,” Dean turned around long enough to point between them, “this was one sided and I told myself I’d deal with it. I could be happy with you as my best friend and nothing more.”

“But I failed at that too. God, Cas, why you don’t hate me, I don’t know. I’ve made so many bad decisions. When you fell, I thought I was facing Sophie’s Choice. How the fuck was I supposed to choose between my brother, the only blood family I had left, who’d been with me through everything, and the love of my life? I tried to logic my way through it. One of the worst mistakes I ever made, kicking you out like that. I should have been upfront and honest, told you what was going on. We could have set things up better for you on a temporary basis. Checked in on you more often, kept in better contact. Been a better friend to you, goddammit!”

Dean stopped pacing, closing his eyes and clenching his fists down at his side, “Instead, I…I turned you out just as you needed me most and I’ll never forgive myself for that. I don’t even know what I was thinking man except, human or not, you are the most badass, most capable, awesome guy I know. Of course, you could take care of yourself. There wasn’t any doubt in my mind that you could. But that doesn’t excuse what I did. I regretted it the minute the words were out of my fucking mouth, no the very  _ second _ I said those damnable words.”

Dean didn’t even realize he was breathing hard, that tears were running down his face, until he felt two strong arms grab him and pull him into a tight, squeezing hug. He nearly broke into sobs as he buried his face into Cas’s shoulder and gripped him back just as hard, just as tight. The hugs, the touches between the two men were never enough.

And at this point, Dean didn’t know if Cas would stay or bail. Dean had just unloaded all his crap on him, all his feelings, full on chick flick, but he just hadn’t been able to hold back any longer. These things mattered.

Cas mattered.

And Cas needed to know that he mattered.

Whether Dean hoped for this to go anywhere afterwards  _ didn’t  _ matter, because whatever Cas decided, he would abide.

“Dean, this wasn’t all on you. I made my share of mistakes too. Just as many regrettable decisions. If I had stayed with you, after the angel tablet, if I had told you the truth then, would we have gone down this path the same way? I…you asked me what broke the connection, when Naomi had brainwashed me…and I lied to you. Again. I had just beaten you bloody, you flinched when I reached to heal you…I was afraid to tell you the truth. I knew also that I ran the risk of pushing you away if I told you that…” Cas’s breathing hitched, “that I loved you Dean Winchester, more than I had ever loved anyone before. Ishim was right, Hester was right. From the moment I saw you, I was lost. All I could see was you.”

“Are you saying, true love broke the spell?” Dean pulled back to look at Cas with a smirk. Castiel rolled his eyes and huffed a laugh.

The somber mood momentarily broken, both the angel and the hunter relaxed, though they didn’t pull away from each other.

“So you love me, huh?”

“I do, Dean. And though you have not said it in so many words,” Dean blushed and looked away, embarrassment markedly high as he let go of Cas with one arm and rubbed at the back of his neck. Cas continued to talk in a low and gentle voice, “I know that you love me too. I can feel it, I’ve always felt it. Though sometimes I’ve been confused by it.”

Dean raised his head again, his green eyes meeting the angels mesmerizing blue ones. How many times had he gotten lost in those gorgeous orbs? Enough times for Sammy to give him crap about it, that much he knew. Still…

He pulled the hand from behind his head and cupped Castiel’s jaw, sliding his thumb over the perpetual stubble that resided there. Cas’s eyes widened…and darkened. Dean gulped and leaned in slowly, sure that what he wanted was written all over his face, was screaming from his soul. Castiel gasped and lunged forward.

Lips met lips in a rush of heat. The first kiss, the first few kisses were chaste, in a way Dean hadn’t done in…he couldn’t remember when. Yet it was perfect. Cas was perfect. The angel's’ hands slid away from Dean’s shoulders until he, too was cupping Deans face, the palms of his hand, his long fingers, gentle and warm.

Dean closed his eyes and hummed his contentment. Cas wasn’t pushing him away. Cas loved him.

Oh god, did this mean…would Cas stay?

Castiel pulled away from Dean and the hunter let out a small whine, filled with fear that Cas was going to leave him, as he always had in the past.

“Shhh, Dean…I’m not going anywhere. If you want me here, I’ll stay as long as you care to have me.”

“Come to bed with me?” Dean whispered back, opening his eyes to stare into the angels once again. Cas froze for a moment, uncertain and Dean rushed to assure him, “I’m not meaning to start anything. We can take this slow or however we want to do this. I just…I was hoping that…maybe we could just…sleep…with our…arms around each other. Maybe a few good night kisses thrown in, just to get use to them, y’know?” Dean shrugged, trying to be nonchalant.

“Dean, are you asking me to cuddle with you?” Castiel’s uncertainly melted away into fond amusement, his lips quirking at the corners and his eyes squinting in mock suspicion.

Dean turned red again and stammered, “C-c-cuddle? Oh my god, Cas! Men don’t cuddle! They uh…um…they just…hug, really hard.”

“Of course, how silly of me.” Castiel rolled his eyes indulgently and pressed another kiss to Dean’s lips.

“Yeah…” Dean leaned back into Castiel’s soft kisses, slow and lingering. He sighed after a few moments of loving touches, “So, whattaya say?”

“I would be happy to cuddle you while you fall asleep,” Castiel said earnestly. Dean grumbled but didn’t object to the term a second time. Cleaning up their beer bottles, Dean led Cas through the bunker and to his room. Shutting the door firmly behind him, Dean paused, then locked it for good measure.

Moose-like creatures sometimes had this way of barging into places. Might have something to do with the fact that they never really had privacy when they were growing up. It still took some getting used to, realizing that in the bunker, they had just as much privacy as they wanted.

Not sure if he should feel weird or not about it, Dean set about going to bed the way he normally would when going to bed in the bunker – which meant stripping down to his boxers only before sliding under the covers. Castiel stood there a little uncertainly, his eyes flicking around the room and back to Dean before becoming flustered at Dean’s near nakedness and away again.

Dean laughed, “C’mere, angel.”

Castiel shuffled forward and Dean sat up in the bed, holding his hands out and taking Cas’s hands into his own. “Remember, not gonna push you into anything. You have a lot to think about, to decide on. I don’t want you feeling guilty for any of this if you find some…merit in that riddle. Just, if you’re going to –“ Dean paused, a small, wry smile on his face as he prepared to use the word he’d felt such objectionable to, “ – cuddle with me, I really don’t wanna feel a belt buckle cutting into my back or my stomach.”

Pushing his hands up, he slid Cas’s trench coat off his shoulders and down his arms, the suit jacket following at the same time. “You need to get comfortable. I know you’re an angel, and you don’t sleep but…just try it out, see how it feels, okay?”

Nodding, Castiel unbuttoned his shirt and Dean had to restrain himself from drooling. All his life he’d wondered but never let himself dip into that end of the pool…nobody had ever enticed him far enough over the line to try…until Cas. But he was true to his word. Stripping down to his own boxers – Dean had half expected bumblebees, but they were actually simple and plain, perfectly serviceable navy blue boxers – the angel climbed into the bed and lay down facing Dean, who had finally laid down and relaxed as Cas did.

A tentative touch to Dean’s face, and their lips met again. This time their mouths spread open and heads tilted slightly for a better angle, their tongues daring to slip out and run along their lips. When the tips of their tongues, brushed together, Dean let out a groan, letting Castiel slip inside and explore. Occasionally Dean would suck on Cas’s tongue and then the tables would turn and Dean would return the favor. Their tongues tangled together, a constant push and pull against each other, taking turns learning the ridges and bumps of the others mouths, warmth curled inside them.

The kisses eventually petered out as Dean’s eyes grew heavy, barely able to note that Castiel had been combing his fingers through Dean’s short, almost spiky, dirty blond hair. Occasionally he scratched at Dean’s scalp and Castiel nearly laughed at the little rumble of content that ran through Dean’s body as he tucked his head under the angels’ chin.

Angels didn’t need to sleep, but Cas was closer, in some ways, to being human these days. He still had all his powers – except the power of flight – yet, he felt things on a human level that he never had before. And soon he fell asleep too, though not before he thought of his and Dean’s conversation and making a decision.

He’d tell Dean in the morning.

Morning hadn’t even come when Castiel woke to something hard against his thigh, a grinding movement against his groin, a friction that felt, oh so good. He blinked, trying to get some semblance of thought or awareness going.

Dean groaned and Castiel felt the groan quivering through his body. It was then that he realized that Dean was still asleep and was – what was it called? – dry humping Cas’s leg.

For a moment, he panicked. Angels and humans were forbidden from associations of the kind he wished to have with Dean…but then remembered the decision he’d made before falling asleep and that panic eased off only to be replaced by another one.

He was growing hard and Dean was sleeping. Dean had no idea what he was doing, what he was doing to  _ Cas _ . Dean’s hand slid around Castiel’s waist and pulled him closer, the naked skin of their chests brushing together, sending tantalizing tingles zinging through him. Their legs tangled together, Dean’s hips moving and sliding, moaning….

Castiel whimpered, sweat starting bead along his temples (there were, apparently, some occasions where Angels do sweat. If Dean were awake, he’d be laughing his ass off) and slicking up his chest where it met Dean’s warmth.

He had to wake him up, he had to…”Oooooooh….” Castiel groaned when Dean’s erection slid against his own, a delicious thrill coursing through him, the blood rushing south and causing him to thicken more, “De-aaan,” he tried to wake the sleeping hunter, but his voice cracked with yet another thrust causing more of that same fabulous friction.

He tried again, “Dee-Ean,” this time the name broke in a whimper. Castiel grabbed at Dean’s shoulders and arched back against Dean as he pushed forward again. Cas tightened his fingers, “Please, Dean….” Cas gasped, “Please…please, wake up…”

In the back of his head, Cas realized vaguely that he could always pull away, roll off the bed, cease any and all contact with Dean, but it was so  _ hard _ to  _ think _ while Dean rubbed against him, Cas’s whole body was awash in the pleasure.

Also, there was the chance that if he pushed Dean away now…the hunter would feel rejected, and Castiel didn’t think he could take that look from Dean, not again as he had so many times before. Instead, Castiel redoubled his efforts to wake Dean, biting his lip against a particularly pleasant…“Oh, De- De-aaan…”

A jolt ran through Dean and into him. Dean’s legs spasmed and the hunter’s body jerked back slightly, his eyes snapping open, taking in the overwhelmed, panicked and pleasure filled face before him. Dean abruptly stilled and Castiel took in a ragged breath, dropping his head to Dean’s shoulder.

A tentative hand touched the angels sweat drenched hair, Dean whispering almost fearfully, “Fuck Cas, I’m so sorry! Are you alright? I didn’t mean to…to make you uncomfortable or push you past anything you wanted to do. Oh fuck, don’t be mad, please, Cas?”

“Dean…” Castiel’s breathing was still hard but he managed to speak, “I’m…not mad and…it wasn’t unpleasant. I would be more than happy to do… _ anything _ you wanted…as long as you are an awake and  knowing participant.” Castiel’s body shuddered as he tried to refrain from continuing what Dean had started.

“Yeah?” Dean shifted, suddenly bringing their still clothed cocks together once again, taking an immense pleasure as the Angel whimpered and rocked into the touch. They stayed that way for a few moments, slow, languid rolls of their hips, Dean’s mouth seeking Cas’s, swallowing the angels beautiful, eager sounds.

Cas’s hands, his long fingers, still clutched at Dean’s arms, at his shoulders, flexing with each roll, every grind. He slid his right hand up till he met the place on Dean’s left shoulder that had once born his mark. What Dean didn’t know was that it still did, a flare of leftover grace sitting just beneath the surface of his skin, still in the shape of a handprint, connecting them always.

Dean jolted, his lips pulling away from Cas’s warm and chapped ones and throwing his head back with a cry as the connection sealed in a way it never had before. The full body shudder running through Dean caused an answering one to echo back from the Angel. Gasping, Dean started shoving, desperately trying to push their boxers aside, to get flesh to flesh contact with his –

“Oh god, Cas……” Dean groaned at the first slide of his cock against Cas’s, both leaking and hard and  _ hot _ ,  _ so fucking hot. _ Dean grabbed them both into his fist, spreading the pre-come to ease the way and jacked them together. The sounds Castiel made, gasping, mewling – if the Angel had needed to breathe, Dean would have been worried, but the breathless, desperate sounds Cas made merely drove Dean closer to the edge.

Hips rocking, thrusting in a sweaty grind, cocks sliding in Dean’s hands, he lunged forward, taking advantage of Cas’s arched neck, the long expanse of his throat so inviting that Dean couldn’t wait to get his lips on it. Sucking, trailing kisses and gentle bite marks along the angel’s throat from the bolt of his jaw, down to the junction of his shoulder, Dean burned from the inside out, Cas’s body just as hot beside him.

The strokes grew faster and Dean soothed his other hand over Cas’s side, down his flank and then around and up, kneading the fleshy globe of his ass, pulling him in tighter against Dean. The angel’s hips stuttered as he cried out again, an explosion of light causing Dean to close his eyes, Cas spilling over his hand with another whimper, Dean following so closely behind, back arched, his cock pulsing in his hand.

Breathing hard, their bodies relaxing, slumping against each other, covered in sweat and come, it took a while before Dean could manage to make his eyes cooperate and look at Cas. Dean’s mouth opened, intending to check if the angel was okay with what they had done, when he saw, just over the angel’s shoulder, a mass of blue black protruding from his back.

Cas’s eyes were still closed, breathing slowly returning to normal and seemingly unaware of the change in the room. Even in the dark room, the broken wings shimmered with an otherworldly light.

”Holy crap, Cas! I can see your wings! I thought, I thought that was impossible, that they existed on another plane of existence or some shit?” Dean’s voice was awed. Even devastated and broken, the wings were impressive.

“No, Dean, don’t look at them,” Castiel started to shrink away, ashamed, his voice breaking, “They’re not what they once were, they’ve been destroyed. The only part of my true form you can even comprehend, and, and I’m hideous.” His low, gravelly voice cracked and wavered with self-loathing and it broke Dean’s heart.

“God, Cas, no, you’re not hideous, your beautiful,” Dean breathed out the words reverently, so goddamn beautiful. Dean shifted to free his hands, using them to gather Cas back in an embrace. The angel was rigid and shaking, no longer suffused with the pleasure that had been there only a moment before. Dean tried to sooth him, pressing kisses against his head as he tucked Castiel into his neck, his hands running up and down his back – only to stop when they contacted the broken wings.

Dean hadn’t expected that. Seeing was unbelievable enough, but being able to actually touch Castiel’s wings? He’d never imagined that it was something he or any other human could do.

Dean’s fingertips tingled as he touched the base of Castiel’s ruined wing. An inhaled breath made Dean freeze, “Cas, did you…did you feel that?”

A shaking, shuddering nod was his answer. Dean trailed his fingers along the bony ridge where scattered, bedraggled feathers clung tenaciously. The hunters’ fingers seemed to disturb the shimmering light that encased the wings, the glow intensifying slightly in their wake. The tingling in Dean’s fingers grew more pronounced and Castiel’s breathing more ragged.

Dean paused, fingers hovering but not touching, “Cas, are…are you alright?”

Still tucked against Dean’s neck, Cas’s chapped lips moved on bare skin, causing Dean to shiver as he spoke, “It feels…so strange. I’ve…no one, human or angel, has ever touched my wings before. They’ve never manifested this way before.”

“Does it feel bad or good?”

Cas hesitated, “Good? It’s hard to explain.” Dean gently settled his hand upon the main part of the wing structure and stroked his fingers down the ridge again. This caused Cas to gasp again, words almost strangled, “It’s almost a painful, tickling sensation but it…brings warmth in its wake and that feels…so good. Like nothing I’ve ever felt before. I…I don’t understand?”

“Sounds like pins and needles, like your wings are waking up,” Dean suggested with a shrug, never ceasing his ministrations on the wings. If it made Cas feel good, Dean wanted to do it. Anything to make up for all the harm he’d done before, all the neglect that angel had suffered because of him. Without realizing it, Dean started humming. After a few seconds, he stopped with a little huff of laughter. He’d been humming John Cougar Mellancamp “Hurt So Good”. It was a good thing Cas neither knew or cared much about music, because if it had been his brother, well, Sam would never have let him live it down.

“That doesn’t make sense, Dean…” Castiel had been quiet as Dean hummed, mulling over the hunter's’ words. Dean just grunted, but his fingers didn’t pause, Cas melting against him like a cat.

“Cas, your wings are glowing…” Dean said softly in both daze and awe. Cas groaned and Dean froze for what felt like the umpteenth time that night. “Shit, do you want me to stop?”

“N-n-no, don’t stop. I…Dean…it feels strange, I feel strange…”

“Dude, are you  _ sure _ you don’t want me to stop?” Dean tentatively ran his fingers along the top of the long bone of the angel’s wing. Cas whimpered. Dean blinked and tried to get a closer look, but he was already pressed in as tight against Cas as he could get and he couldn’t see the wing clearly.

Pulling away, despite Cas’s protests and grasping hands, Dean sat up, ignoring the stickiness between his legs and across his stomach. “Cas, roll onto your stomach, I think…something’s happening. I need a closer look.”

“Dean, no, they’re broken,  _ I’m  _ broken.” Castiel’s hands scrabbled to grab at Dean again, and though the angel had more than enough strength to break the hunter in half without trying, he was unwilling to use it against Dean for anything less than a life or death situation.

“Cas, babe, you’re not broken, you gotta believe me. You’re no more broken than me. We’re just…you know, a bit beat up, maybe, but that doesn’t mean we’re broken. Trust me, Cas…please…just, rollover?”

With Dean’s help and long sigh, Castiel maneuvered reluctantly onto his stomach, turning his face away and closing his eyes.

Straddling Cas’s hips with his naked legs – a position he’d love to be able to enjoy more at some point – Dean leaned down to look at the spot on the wing he’d been touching. The only place he’d been able to reach. It looked different than the rest of the angels’ neglected wings.

Dean ran his fingers over the bone again, the tingling returning, intensifying, a trail of sparkling light hovering briefly in their wake. “Cas…” he breathed, eyes wide, “I don’t understand what’s going on but…if what I think is happening  _ is,  _ then it’s…wow…”

“Dean?” Castiel twisted under him, “Just tell me what’s wrong!”

“Not wrong. Far from it I think. I think, it’s something  _ right _ , for once.” Dean didn’t stop now, using both hands he more firmly pressed and stroked each bone, each fragile, clinging feather and watched the light that surrounded it all very carefully as it moved with him. Every time it receded, he was that much more certain that the feathers already there were growing healthier and that new ones were growing in.

And the longer he did it, the more Cas’s groans changed from uncertain, breathy things to longer, drawn out sounds of contentment, and eventually graduating to aroused.

“Dean, what – what’s happening? Ooohhh...Why does this feel so good?” Cas’s body twitched slightly.

“Dude, your wings are beautiful.”

“Dean, are you blind?”

“Fair enough, I suppose, but not this time. You’re wings – they’re growing back in.”

“What?” Cas gasped.

Dean looked at the wings critically for a second, then nodded and sat back, getting off of Cas’s legs. “Sit up.” Though he was thoroughly confused, Cas didn’t argue. “Now move one of your wings so you can see it.”

Before he finished speaking both wings shifted forward, Cas reaching out a trembling hand to touch the nearest feathers. Dean knelt behind the angel, pressing flush against his back, peeking out over the wing to see Cas’s face, watching his reaction carefully. The angel gulped as he ran a finger down the length of the longest feather, tears started to gather in his eyes. “It’s…this isn’t possible…how is this possible?”

“Watch what happens when I do this,” Dean whispered, placing his hands next to Cas’s and carefully sliding through each black and blue feather he could reach, each soft and shimmering plume. The angels’ eyes widened as he watched the sparkling light dancing around Dean’s fingers, as he watched his own feathers fluff out becoming thicker and fuller, as disbelieving, watery eyes watched small puffs of down appear.

“How?” Castiel choked out.

“Hell if I know. Think I know anything about angels that you don’t? But if my touching your wings brings back something you lost because of me – “

“Dean, no, it was my own fault Metatron tricked me and the angels fell,” Cas turned in Dean’s arms, the intensity of his blue eyes boring into Dean. “Why do you take everything on yourself, even when it is clearly not your fault?” Cas reached out to cup Dean’s face. Dean’s eyes fluttered closed under the feeling of Cas touching him, the warmth of those long fingers that caressed his face, of those eyes that bore into his soul. He leaned into the touch, a touch he had pretended not to crave for so long.

Dean’s breathing hitched and his voice cracked, “Cas, it  _ is _ my fault. After what happened in the crypt, I  _ knew _ those dicks were messing with you, I could see you felt guilty for hurting me, that you felt ashamed for what you had done and you just…you ran, you couldn’t face it. I don’t blame you. How many times have I done the same? The next time I saw you, you were injured, you had clearly been through the ringer and you came to us for help, to  _ me!  _ And what did I do? I was so upset I pushed you away. Tell me, if I hadn’t done that, would you still have left the bunker and fallen prey to Metatron’s lies?”

“How could you have known?” Castiel’s thumb rubbed away the tear that started to track down Dean’s face.

“How could  _ you _ ?” Dean opened his eyes again and stared at the angel before him. Who was drawing nearer to him, whose kisses peppered Dean’s face, tickling him and making him squirm in Castiel’s arms – when had the angel pulled him into an embrace? Was Dean that lost in blue and wandering kisses that the rest of the world fell away? – “What are you…Cas, that tickles, what are you doing?”

“I’m kissing your freckles, Dean. I heard it said that freckles are angel kisses, and I want to find each one,” Castiel methodically moved across Dean’s face, over the bridge of his nose and down the other cheekbone. Dean wrapped his arms back around Castiel, fingers finding purchase in the newly shown wings.

“I don’t want any other angel kisses than yours,” Dean murmured, tilting his head to give Cas better access to trail down his throat, following the freckles that were spattered there. It wasn’t long before Castiel was tempted to alternate kissing with licking and sucking, the desire to taste Dean’s flesh overwhelming him. He made note of the sensitive points and paid particular attention to them, enjoying the rocking motion that it caused in Dean. Dean gasped, Cas’s lips burning hot against his throat, down to his collarbone and he groaned. Getting hickies had always been enjoyable but sweet Jesus, Dean hadn’t ever realized it could feel  _ quite _ that good. Cas’s hands soothed down Dean’s back pressing him closer before sliding down his ass and pulling Dean against his body, their hardening members brushing together.

“Fuck, Cas…” Dean moaned the words, the grip of his fingers tight on the angels’ wings. Dean was being pressed back, down to the bed, Castiel moving to lay on top of him, sweet kisses peppering his skin, still following a freckle trail, bodies grinding together. Dean whimpered, thrust up and groaned again, eyes sliding closed against the near constant light that now permeated the room.

Dean was hot, so unbearably hot as he moved restlessly under Castiel’s body, sliding his hands up and down the feathered wings, to Castiel’s shoulders and back, but always drawn back to the wings, those soft pieces of Cas that no one but Dean had ever touched.

“Dean…I want…can I…” Castiel moaned and licked at Dean’s nipple before drawing it into his mouth and sucking on it. Dean cried out and arched into the angel, trying to push the pace but Castiel removed one hand from Dean’s ass to hold him down, his wings arching above him and dragging out of Dean’s hands.

Dean made a sound of protest but when a warm sensation enveloped his cock he let it die. “Oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck,” he whispered desperately. Dean’s fingers – bereft of the soft and beautiful plumage, settled for tangling in the dark, messy hair that had taunted him from day one. How he’d longed to run his fingers through that hair, feel the strands slide between his fingers.

Dean’s legs fell open, Castiel settling between them like he had no plans to go anywhere else, ever. His lips and tongue worked over Dean’s erection with fervor while the hand on Dean’s ass shifted ever closer to his hole.

Dean’s eyes rolled into his head, breath coming out in gasps, a whine released from his throat when a thumb pressed over that sensitive flesh, never touched by anyone else before. The thumb teased his rim, dipping in slightly and out again and Dean’s hips stuttered, the idea of being penetrated for the first time ever, something he’d always lacked the courage to try but had always wanted…

Fuck, he wanted this. And not just from anyone. Only Cas, only ever Cas…

The thick thumb pressed in more firmly. Dean expected it to hurt, but surprisingly it didn’t. He hadn’t heard Cas rummage in his nightstand for lube but he must have because Cas was having no problems. He switched from his thumb to two fingers and slid easily into Dean, stretching him out.

Overheating, Dean cried out in broken, gasping sounds, “Cas – Ca-as, fuck yeah, just…..oh god, yes…don’t stop…please?”

Hips driving up as much as the angel would let him, lips teasing, tongue tracing the sensitive veins, the tip of Dean’s cock leaking profusely, then down again, all while being speared open by gently moving, but firm, long fingers.

Another finger joined the first two and twisted, Dean howling at the sensation, fingers scrabbling at Cas’s body. “Up…up…”

Cas let go of Dean’s dick with a pop and shifted up again, his hands leaving Dean empty as he pushed at Dean’s legs to make room for the angel. Deans legs were hooked over Cas’s arms as he lay down on top of Dean, mouths  coming together in a heated kiss. Cas rocked and his erection slid against Dean’s exposed hole.

“Please…”

“Can I…?”

“Oh fuck yeah,” Dean breathed, grabbing two fistfuls of Cas’s hair and pulling him into another kiss, his hips moving the whole while, writhing, “Oh god, Cas, please…inside, need you…need you so bad…” the kisses broke off, Castiel taking himself in hand to line up with Dean’s hole.

They both let out a long groan when Castiel pushed in slowly. Each small thrust bringing him deeper inside Dean’s warmth. Before Cas knew it, he was flush against Dean, his cock hot and twitching inside Dean’s ass, the tightness pressing in on him.

It was so glorious, so overwhelming that Castiel had to stop moving briefly.

Neither of them could breathe properly, both gasping, hovering in this small moment of time before Dean’s hands shoved down to grab Castiel’s’ ass and…and  _ yanked _ . “Fuck, c’mon, not gonna break, just…just…do – oh fuck, oh yeah, that’s…that’s….”

Castiel was buried so deep into Dean’s warmth he couldn’t believe it. He pulled out and thrust back in, rocking their sweating bodies together. Deans hands moved across the angels’ flesh, not able to stay still. Dean finally could touch Cas and he was going to  _ touch _ every part he could reach. Clutching the angel to his body, their hips moved in tandem, thrusting and grinding.

Fingers groped asses, chests slid tantalizingly against each other, Cas’s lips moved back to Dean’s neck and mouthed and licked and sucked every bit he could reach, the moans Dean made with every thrust of Castiel’s hips driving him mad.

Castiel felt like he was about to burst, spontaneously combust, his body moving without thought, operating on the purest of instinct.

“Oh Dean, I…” Thrust, “I can’t…hold on…” Thrust, “I’m…I’m….” Castiel became incoherent, hips speeding up, pushing Dean’s legs, bending him in half, the angel changing his angle just that little bit to reach that special place inside Dean. With the hit against his prostate, Dean wailed and whimpered and shoved himself down onto Cas’s dick as hard as he could. Feeling this full, this good, just couldn’t be possible.

“F-f-fuck, harder…”

Castiel whimpered, Dean’s fingers having abandoned Cas’s ass to slide back into the feathers, yanking and stroking until he felt a wet space along Castiel’s back and his fingers pushed through it. The tingling sensations on Dean’s fingers every time he touched even the smallest feather spread throughout him, every nerve flaring with warmth.

Castiel groaned and bit at Dean’s neck as Dean gasped at the overpowering sensations, the feelings. Dean couldn’t believe he and Cas were here, together, in a way he’d only dreamed of for years.

Dean opened his eyes – when the fuck had they closed? – wanting to look into Cas’s gorgeous blue eyes only to find himself drowning in the emotions he found there, echoed in his own heart. The love shining through incandescent eyes, unconditional love and pure wonder radiating from the angel made Dean choke out a sob.  

Cas slowed, concerned, “Dean?”

“It’s, I’m okay, just…don’t stop, please?” Dean begged. Castiel nodded, but didn’t pick up the pace again, didn’t return to the desperate thrusting from before. Instead, his pace slowed, each stroke long, deep and deliberate.

“Are you sure?” Castiel rumbled out low against Dean’s lips. Dean nodded furiously, wet green eyes staring up at him.

“Fuck, Cas, how’d I get so lucky? Why do you love me so much?” With the whispered words, tears streamed down Dean’s face and Cas reached out a hand to wipe them away, hips still moving, Dean meeting each thrust. Dean didn’t give Cas a chance to answer, but lifted his head up enough to kiss Castiel again, Dean’s fingers still gripping the angels’ wings, flexing and stroking. Cas whining at every touch of Dean’s fingers, his thrusts growing sharper and hurried once more when Dean’s fingers made their way to the wing base again.

“Yeah, baby? Does that feel good? I wanna make you feel good too. God Cas,” Dean groaned and writhed under him, “What you do to me…what you’ve always done to me. I…I love you…” For the first time that he could remember in a long damn time, the words left his mouth, uncaged, free. He wished he’d said it sooner, so much sooner.

“Dean…Deaaaan…” Cas’s mouth slipped from Dean’s with each word, each moan, each thrust. He buried his face in Dean’s neck, his body pressed as close as it could go, even as he buried himself in Dean, in his heat, heat that seemed to be spreading through Cas’s body, through his wings. His heart ached, ached with love and need and want and wonder, his wings spreading out, arching above him, curling inwards, cocooning them gently.

“I’m…I’m….” he gasped into Dean’s neck.

“Yeah, me too, oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuu-uck,” Dean’s voice rose in pitch with every word, his hips moving desperately before he arched upwards with a silent cry, mouth gaping open, fingers spasming in their holds on Cas’s feathers. Dean came and Cas gasped as Dean clenched around him. His wings flapped out powerfully as Dean’s fingers dug in with his climax and after a few last thrusts, Cas came too, filling Dean with a cry.

For the second time that night, light flared powerfully in the room. Light so powerful, even the angel had to shield his eyes while collapsing on Dean, still buried deep within him, both of their bodies shaking with the aftershocks, both gasping and clinging to the other, reluctant to let go.

The light died and Dean dared to open his eyes, blinking against the sparkles left in his vision. Cas’s scruff rubbed into Dean’s neck, and he trembled lightly. Dean ran a soothing hand down his back. He twisted to drop a kiss in Cas’s messy hair – messier now, Dean thought with some pride – before dropping back to relax into the bed, to bask in the comfort of Castiel’s arms. He blinked as his eyes adjusted and he realized…it was really dark.

Had he been blinded by the light? He blinked again and ignored the part of his brain that wanted to make a joke about the song reference. Cas probably wouldn’t get it anyway, or he’d feel guilty, thinking he’d blinded Dean. And Dean didn’t want Cas feeling guilty.

The darkness around him moved, shimmered and he realized something. “Holy fuck – if that’s not your father’s blessing, then I don’t know what is…” If Dean had been in awe before, it was nothing compared to now.

“Hmm?” was the only reply he got. Happy, sated and more than a little out of it, Dean huffed out a small laugh, his body shaking Cas in his amusement. For a being older than time itself…Dean let that thought trail off with another laugh.

Disgruntled about being disturbed, Cas lifted his head some, and the darkness above them shifted again. “Dean, what?”

“Did you hear what I said, angel? Cause, you should really look behind you. How you don’t  _ feel  _ that, I have no freakin’ clue.” Dean gently pushed at Cas’s shoulders, noting that his hands were slick with something.  _ What the hell…? _

He could only imagine one thing and he shoved at Cas more frantically, trying to get him to sit up and let in the light so Dean could see what he had done, do what he needed to fix it.

Abruptly, Cas sat back, finally slipping out as he did, Dean feeling the loss. There was a hurt look on his face, until he saw the panicked one on Dean’s. “What is it?”

“Dude, I…I’m not sure?” Dean stared down at his hands. They were wet but he couldn’t see anything on them except that there was  _ something _ there. Whatever it was, it was a colorless substance. Definitely not blood. Or any type of supernatural goo he was used to. He rubbed his hands together, his fingers. It was oily. He raised his hands to sniff and nearly groaned.

It smelled like Cas. It smelled like Cas in a more pure and potent way than he’d ever smelled him. He looked up at the angel who was watching the hunter with confused eyes. So concerned was he in whatever was bothering Dean, that Cas still hadn’t noticed the change in wings.

Castiel slowly reached out and took Dean’s hand in his. At the first touch of the oil, Cas tilted his head. “What is it?” he asked again.

“I don’t know but…it came from your back…from your wings. Is that normal?”

“I don’t know. My wings have never manifested on this plane in this fashion before. Maybe it’s a side effect of the fall? Of the damage they’ve taken?”

At that, Dean grinned and shook his head. With shaky legs, he stood from the bed and pulled Cas up with him, drawing him over to the small mirror he kept over the dresser. “Look, Cas,” he whispered.

Castiel looked –

And couldn’t believe what he saw. The same blue and black feathers he saw earlier, all bedraggled and worn, clinging to the bone of his wing had…had…were these the same wings? He leaned closer to the mirror, the disbelief clear in his eyes. His wings flared forward, allowing Cas a better look at the healthy, full wings that adorned his back.

“How…?”

“I dunno, Cas, but goddamn, am I happy for you,” Dean beamed at him, a hand reaching out to card through the feathers. Cas hummed and leaned into the touch. “That really feels good to ya, don’t it?”

“Very much so. It’s at times soothing and arousing. I…don’t know what the difference is,” Castiel blushed, looking at Dean through the mirror. Dean’s hands paused and he stepped back, and back again till he could center himself behind Cas’s wings. “What is it?”

“I think I found the oil that’s on my hands. Your feathers are practically  _ glistening _ with it,” Dean answered. He moved his hands through the feathers and noted how they seemed to reach for the oil, how they soaked it up. There were some uneven globs on the feathers and he instinctively reached to smooth them out. “How’s that feel to you right now?”

“It feels…it feels good. Warm and soothing. It’s comforting and…it’s like, like I’m home.” Castiel leaned into the touch, eyes slipping closed, wings stretching out to give Dean as much access as he wanted.

Dean stepped closer, resting his forehead between Cas’s shoulder blades, between the wings that sprouted from them and whispered, “You are home, if you’ll stay. With or without me, this is always your home, you got that?”

Tears pricked the hunter’s eyes. From the sound of Castiel’s voice, they had also filled his, “Always, if you truly want me, Dean, I’ll stay. It’s all I ever really, truly wanted. I never dared believe that I could have this, even as a human, I thought you were so far beyond my reach…”

“Beyond your reach? So says the one of us that has  _ wings _ ,” Dean laughed, his hands resuming their petting. He hit a knob at the base of Cas’s wings he remembered from his earlier – ahem –  _ explorations _ . “Huh, this is the source of the oil, and your wings seem to like it, so I guess it’s natural?”

“A preen gland  _ is _ a natural part of most avians. I suppose if my wings are to manifest in this fashion, it only makes sense that the anatomy of my wings are similar,” Castiel said.

“Huh…but, if they aren’t supposed to…to exist on this plane, will they still work the way they’re supposed to?” Dean wondered. It was kind of cool when Cas still had his wings. Because no matter how far he wandered, he could always be home in an instant.

Though, it had also been nerve-wracking, because when Castiel was far away, if something came after him that Castiel couldn’t handle,  _ Dean _ wouldn’t necessarily be able to come to  _ his  _ rescue - not even in a timely fashion, but also for pure accessibility. How do you follow a creature who can fly to the other end of the galaxy? Or sit inside a volcano?

“I suppose there’s only one way to find out,” Castiel mused. Dean tensed without even realizing it. “But that can wait. Castiel turned carefully, taking care not to hit Dean with his wings. “Right now, I’d rather be here, with you.”

Dean’s face brightened, “Yeah, Cas, me too. C’mon buddy, let’s – “ Dean paused for a second and looked down between them and laughed, “Y’know what? Let’s go take a shower, get ourselves cleaned up. Then we can figure out how we want to waste the day from there.”

“As long as it’s with you, I don’t care what we do,” Castiel beamed, his wings come to wrap around the hunter and caressing his skin.  Dean leaned in for a kiss, soft and sweet and lingering before he finally pulled away and grabbed up a couple pairs of clean boxers and a few towels. With great reluctance, the two of them put on their old boxers and grabbed up Dean’s robe and Cas’s trench coat (Dean would have to look into getting him his own robe) and unlocked the door, sneaking down the hall to the bathroom.

“The shower pressure here is unbelievable. And the hot water  _ never  _ gives out. You’re going to loooove this,” Dean grinned at Cas and Cas beamed back happily, walking hand in hand down the hall.

Behind them, a door creaked open and a tired Sam shuffled out of his room yawning and pawing at his eyes and hair. He looked up, coming to an abrupt halt and blinked. Then blinked again. He rubbed his eyes and his jaw dropped.

“Huh…” Sam grunted, surprised, unnoticed by his nearly naked brother and the equally nearly naked angel, “When’d they finally get over their crap?”

He watched them stroll down the hall, stopping once for a leisurely kiss. He shook his head with a fond grin and turned to go back to his room – no way was he heading for the bathroom with them at the same time. He had this uneasy feeling he’d burn out his eyes in a very unangelic way if he did – and froze just as he shut the door behind him.

Why had Dean been stroking the empty air behind Cas’s back?

_ No, you know what? No, I don’t want to know. It’s probably some sort of kinky angel aura thing and I’m just not _ _ going to ask, _ Sam resolved with a firm nod to the empty room.

Yeah, that would be best. As long as Dean and Cas were finally happy, Sam was going to just keep his mouth shut about certain things. He really didn’t want to know about his brother’s sex life. 36 years of near constant contact and lack of privacy meant that he already knew more about that than he had ever wanted to know.

There were some things that could never be unseen.

Still, Sam couldn’t stop smiling like a fool. This had been a long time coming. His eyes fell on his phone and he wondered if it was too early to text Claire.

She owed him some money now, after all, and it was time to collect. Sam’s smile turned into a grin and he snatched up the phone, his fingers flying over the buttons. Yup, he’d been waiting for this opportunity for a long time, and Claire wasn’t the only one who would owe him some money now.

 


End file.
